San Francisco, CA – Members of Amazon Watch, Communities for a Better Environment, Project Underground and concerned community residents from around the Bay Area gathered outside of the World Affairs Council’s Annual Dinner at the Hilton Hotel in downtown San Francisco today to protest this years awardee…ChevronTexaco. The World Affairs Council is presenting David O’Reilly, CEO of ChevronTexaco, with an award for his company’s “contributions to international understanding in the Bay Area”. They are also honoring Senator Sam Nunn, ChevronTexaco Board Member, for his contributions to international security and cooperation.
“It is unbelievable that the World Affairs Council has chosen to give an award to a corporation that has such a horrible human rights and environmental record,” says Sarada Tangirala, Oil Campaigner for Project Underground. “Communities all over the world, from Richmond, CA to the Ecuadorian Amazon, are suffering from the oil operations of ChevronTexaco.”
– In Richmond, Chevron’s major fires, spills, leaks, explosions and toxic gas releases cause severe injuries and illnesses.
– In Nigeria, Chevron burns natural gas associated with its oil operations, causing health problems, acid rain and climate change.
– In Iraq, Chevron used its ties to the Bush Administration to profit off the war against Iraq. It is the only U.S. corporation that has been awarded a contract to extract Iraqi oil.
– In the Ecuadorian Amazon, indigenous and campesino communities are suffering an exploding health crisis from the toxic wastes that Texaco dumped into the pristine rivers, streams and wetlands between 1971 and 1991.
“ChevronTexaco deserves an award its contributions to international destruction, rather than international understanding,” says Leila Salazar, Organizer for the International ChevronToxico Campaign with Amazon Watch. “Communities around the world want ChevronTexaco to CLEAN UP and PAY UP for the destruction this company has caused. Until this is done, we will continue to protest and boycott ChevronTexaco.”
Salazar also said, “We know that ChevronTexaco has the resources to meet community demands.” Last year, ChevronTexaco donated over $20 million dollars a year to organizations, such as the World Affairs Council. In addition ChevronTexaco recently reported a first-quarter net income of $1.92 billion. This is three times the amount reported last year. “A higher level of international understanding would be reached if charitable contributions and profits would be used to primarily benefit the communities where ChevronTexaco has its operations,” says Salazar.
